Sustainable Buildings

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2012:

120 hours

This subject provides a multi-disciplinary overview of the design of sustainable buildings and considers the design from an architectural, services engineering, facade engineering, environmental engineering and structural engineering, tenants and owners perspective

Topics include: ecological sustainable design, life cycle analysis, planning for sustainable buildings and cities, regulatory environment, barriers to green buildings, green building rating tools, material selection, embodied energy, operating energy, indoor environmental quality (noise, light and air), facade systems, ventilation systems, transportation, water treatment systems, water efficiency, building economics, and staff productivity

A number of industry based case study examples will be introduced to complement the lectures

On successful completion of this subject students should be able to:

• Identify the critical sustainability issues that should be addressed in planning a building or new development
• Estimate the green star rating of a new building
• Identify the issues effecting indoor environmental quality
• Select different heating and cooling ventilation systems and justify the selection
• Calculate the embodied energy of different structural systems including recycled material
• Calculate the utilisation energy and greenhouse gas production of different building conceptual designs
• Carry out conceptual designs for the design of a water supply system for a building with a focus on water conservation and recycling measures and estimate the expected water consumption requirements
• Undertake cost studies of different green star rated buildings using life cycle cost analysis techniques

• One 2-hour written exam (40%)
• Written assignments of approximately 4000 words in total, or equivalent (60%)

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

• Understanding of social, cultural, global and environmental responsibilities and the need to employ principles of sustainable development
• Ability to utilise a systems approach to complex problems and to design for operational performance
• Capacity for lifelong learning and professional development
• Understanding of professional and ethical responsibilities, and commitment to them